Yin Yoga: Winter and What the Body Needs
WORDS BY KELSEY BAERG
CHECK OUT KELSEAERINYOGA.COM
Looking for a transformative Yin Yoga practice in the comfort of your own home? Check out this sequence by Kelsey Baerg. She offers Yin Yoga classes every Monday night at Shanti Yoga.
“This weekend, I began to write my class plans for the upcoming week, designing sequences for welcoming spring. As I was writing, I looked out the window at the snow that was falling, and it struck me that I was on auto-pilot, programmed to believe a change in season was occurring simply due to the date on a calendar. Was I really this out of touch with the natural world? I put my notebooks away and decided to take a walk.
While walking, the cold air biting at my ears, I began to reflect on what this long, drawn-out winter was trying to tell us. In Chinese Medicine, winter represents the most Yin time of year. Yin is the cold, slow, inward energy in comparison to Yang, which is light, fast, outward, and hot. The Yin organ associated with winter is the kidney. Our kidneys are vitally important organs, storing our body's most fundamental energy, our qi, and directing it to places in the body that are running low. Kidneys require rest to be revitalized and conserve this important energy. Winter is the time for us to slow down, to turn inward, and to partake in activities which enrich Yin, temper Yang, and allow the kidneys time to replenish.
In the Canadian Kootenays, it can be difficult to take the rest that our bodies require during wintertime. The endless opportunities for mountain adventures, apres-ski beers, and other Yang-inducing activities can be all too appealing. So instead of bemoaning this long winter, let's look at it as an opportunity to detach from the excitement of the ski hill and take the time to truly slow down and turn inward.
With that in mind, here is a Yin sequence designed to clear out blockages along the kidney meridian line and give yourself the time to rest and replenish those kidneys properly.”
Yin Sequence for the Winter
1. Seated Meditation
Prop yourself up on a pillow, or a folded blanket, and find a comfortable cross-legged position. Bring your hands palms down on your lap. Close your eyes. Begin to follow your breath as it travels in and out of your body. Each time you exhale, feel the energy traveling downwards, as your body becomes heavier. Stay here for at least 10 breaths to prepare for your practice.
2. Half Happy Baby
Remove your mat of any props. Lie down on your back. Bend your legs and plant the soles of your feet beneath your knees. Check in to make sure that your sacrum (the flat bone at the end of your spine) is pressing into the mat until you feel a slight lift to your low back. Hug your right knee into your chest and then draw the knee towards the right armpit. Take your hands to the back of your thigh and extend the sole of the foot to the ceiling, stacking the heel directly above the knee. Hands stay on the back of the thigh, or your right hand can reach up for your ankle or your foot. Left leg can stay bent, or can extend out, pressing firmly out through the heel. Stay here for 15 deep breaths and then repeat on the second side. Once finished, lie in Savasana for 1 minute to allow the tissue to rebound.
3. Butterfly (with acupressure)
Find a seat. Before moving into this shape, take a moment to point your toes and find the spot that depresses to the medial edge of the ball of your big toe. This point is called Kidney 1. It is commonly referred to as the "Yin point" and it helps to ground and to add this slow, inward Yin energy to the body. Remember that spot.
Now, slide the pillow or the folded blanket beneath your sitting bones again and draw the soles of your feet together. Allow the knees to drop open to either side. Lengthen your spine, lifting the crown of the head up towards the ceiling. Take your hands to your feet and use your thumbs to begin gently massaging Kidney 1. Do this for 20 deep breaths. Once finished, lie down in Savasana for 1 minute to allow the tissue to rebound.
4. Wide Leg Forward Fold
Returning to a seat. This time turn laterally on your mat and sit up on your pillow or folded blanket. Take your legs out to the sides. For most of us, just sitting with the legs separated allows for a deep stretch across the inner hips where the kidney meridian runs. If you feel you are rounding the low back, or struggling to sit up tall, take your fingertips behind you and push down to lengthen the spine. Close your eyes and take 10 deep breaths. See if you can draw your belly towards your spine to restrict the flow of air into the front body and push it into the low back to stimulate the kidneys. If after 10 breaths you want to deepen, feel free to fold forwards, but keep the spine long! Stay for another 10 deep breaths. Slowly come out of the posture and transition into child’s pose with the knees mat width and big toes connected. Rest here 30 seconds > 1 minute.
6. Toe Squat
Come onto all fours. Then bring your knees and feet together. Curl your toes under and walk your hands back until you are sitting on your heels. This posture is a beautiful way to open the fascia of the feet, all while stimulating the Kidney meridian, which begins it's journey in the feet. Close your eyes. Stay here for 15 deep breaths. This feeling is intense! Once you are finished, come forward to all fours and lightly tap the tops of your feet on the floor to release the energy. Lie down and rest in Savasana for 1 minute.
7. Supported Bridge
Bend your knees, place the soles of your feet beneath your knees at hip width. Push into the feet, and place a blue foam block beneath your sacrum. Arms relax by the sides of the waist. Allow everything else to soften. Stay here for as long as you need, working with a deep, full body breath. When you're ready to come out, push into the feet, lift the hips to move the block and relax into Savasana.
8. Savasana
Lie on your back. Let your feet flop out to either side, let your arms relax beside you. Let your thoughts quiet. Relax your heart, everything is okay!
I personally love to practice Yin to music. Check out my 30 minute playlist Winter Yin to accompany this practice. https://open.spotify.com/user/kelseabaerg/playlist/7xQpeL0AuAiHEWuQTSFjvt